British conductor Leopold Stokowski once opined, “A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” This oft-quoted nugget of wisdom describes music’s peculiar ability to occupy the physical world without being seen. However, it isn’t necessary to have synesthesia to witness Strauss’s pastoral world orContinue Reading
Meg Baird wants to show you another world. The psychedelic folk tones of her new album Furling underline a slow-burning and patient collection of dreamy songs that act as conduits for inter-plane travels. The honest-to-goodness production, mainly helmed by producer Tim Green at his Grass Valley Louder Studios, packages Baird’s songs inContinue Reading
Surely 2023 will see the tail end of lockdown albums. By now, artists have had ample time to give their quarantined expressions the right amount of reverb. However, The Waeve come washing in with a testament to the artistic possibilities that arise from a world in turmoil. A duo comprisingContinue Reading
While the accordion’s origins can be traced back to 19th century Berlin, their use by cultures throughout the globe is a testament to their unique lure and dynamic capabilities. While it is played in pubs from Czechia to Scotland, it also has an intrinsic cultural status in Brazil and Colombia.Continue Reading
Mac DeMarco is no longer in his salad days. Instead, the beatnik lover of vintage sounds and multi-interpretable songs, now in his thirties, has had time to reflect on a life lived at full speed. His new album, the ridiculously-titled “Five Easy Hot Dogs”, was recorded during a road tripContinue Reading
rooms are a lowercase slacker indie rock outfit from Vancouver, spearheaded by the charming lyrics and irreverent songwriting of Beshele Caron. As rooms, Caron and co have landed on three albums; It takes a lot to show up in 2016, You’re like the wind, a big gust of nothing in 2019, and the mostContinue Reading
Australian folk-jazz singer Jack Phemister is from the small town of Yass in New South Wales but now resides in metropolitan Melbourne. His folk-jazz stylings are imbued with soul-pop, and if two hyphenated genres aren’t enough, throw in indie-rock and singer-songwriter for good measure. This amalgamated modus operandi rests onContinue Reading
The Italian city of Padua is home to the oldest botanical gardens in the world and was the scene for Shakespeare’s “The taming of the shrew”. Such a connection to history may lead one to imagine its artists are still inspired by antiquity. However, as evidenced on “Mindflux” by Tracya,Continue Reading
The “American Dream” has long promised a life of freedom and financial prosperity to those willing to work for it. Coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931, the term is now used ironically to point out the injustices and despair that come when faced with the cold reality of aContinue Reading
Norwegian painter Edvard Munch once said, “Art comes from joy and pain, but mostly pain.” And while the cliched tortured artist trying to realise their vision has been heavily romanticised in our culture, art has a more utilitarian function as a salve. Perhaps the greatest pain is that of a parent whoContinue Reading